


The Bet

by Katergator



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Canon Divergence, F/M, Pregstrid, a companion piece to The Betrothal Gift/Serenade, httyd3, little bit of angst for a humorous payoff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-12-30 19:09:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18321446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katergator/pseuds/Katergator
Summary: The dragons are gone. The Berkians have nothing left but to move forward and make the new island their home. Hiccup struggles to make the best of it with Astrid's support... until she starts feeling ill, and it's Hiccup's turn to support her.Also, the rumor mill is churning and the people of Berk have a lot of money riding on this one.





	The Bet

**Author's Note:**

> This was a prompt from tumblr, requesting that I handle the bet from my other oneshot "The Betrothal Gift," although I feel like this one goes a little better with Serenade. Ah well! Hiccup and Astrid deal with the consequences of their actions, much to the village's amusement.  
> This would fall between the dragons leaving and the wedding, and it's a little bit of canon divergence.

Hiccup breathed in deep, salty breeze filling his lungs and invigorating his mood. The sun shone overhead in a cloudless sky, seasonally warm for winter. Things were finally looking up.

The weeks following the great dragon departure were dark and full of struggles, emotional and manual labor alike, while his people worked tirelessly to build shelters and make the new island feel like home. Hiccup heavily leaned on Astrid, figuratively and literally while it took him a day to make a new prosthetic. He must have grown, as his spare fell short by half an inch and pinched when he walked.

The inconvenience of an ill-fitting spare leg was nothing compared to the pain in his chest. Toothless's absence left a massive void and about fifteen identity crises in its wake.

His heart broke and tears rolled as he watched his best friend fly off into the sunset, but as darkness fell the numbness of denial set in. It seeped through his soul until it coated his heart and blocked everything out. It persisted into the night, even as he found grieved solace in Astrid's arms. The aching hollow carved its place in his chest the next morning, for the rest of the day, then the next day, and the day after that.

He functioned mechanically, like one of his inventions; going through the motions directing and ordering and working until his hands were dirty and sore. Some might think he handled the loss exceptionally well, and others who knew him better regarded him warily, wondering if he was truly doing as well as he seemed.

Hiccup never subscribed to traditional Viking burliness, but he had been a master at hiding the depth of his pain his entire life, and this was no different--

Except, the real difference was Astrid.

Entirely blessed as he was to have her by his side, she also knew him better than anyone else and sugar coating never had been her strong suit.

She gave him time to grieve and he would be forever grateful, especially when she suffered with the loss of Stormfly just as much. He had not been a good partner lately, neglecting not only his own emotional needs but hers as well. She still loved him as much as she ever had and she didn't hold it against him.

She could see his descent to rock bottom, and still he kept trying to hold himself to a lofty standard that he could never meet given their circumstances. Every member of their tribe looked to him, the man with a plan, for leadership, stability and hope. He finally cracked under the pressure. The bottle he stuffed all his grief and emotional baggage into burst in spectacular fashion.

And Astrid had been right there to mop up the mess.

She allowed him to pour out all his stress and heartbreak in her arms, comforting him through it all. Then she did what she did best and reminded him the majority of their tribe had long survived well before the assistance of dragons and they would return to that old way of life easily enough.

Building houses and important communal structures went fast once they milled a decent stockpile of lumber. The Berkians perfected expedited construction to an art when every few weeks buildings had to be replaced due to dragon raids. The builders joked they would be out of a job, since their houses were bound to last longer without their scaly and fire prone friends.

Astrid knew exactly what he needed to hear. Their people supported him and worked for him, with him, but they knew how hard this was on him and no one considered all his efforts a failure. Every single person invested in the future of New Berk, and all were willing to do their part to ensure the success of the tribe. It wasn't all on him and no one expected him to shoulder the weight alone.

She always had a way of lifting up his confidence when he hit his lowest point-- he and Toothless had done the necessary thing for the safety of Berk and all the dragons. One of the most painful things he had ever done, but necessary.

Just as Toothless had a partner by his side now, Hiccup refocused his compass on Astrid and found a renewed sense of purpose. They _had_ all lived without dragons before, were even at war, and now they were situated on a heavily fortified island with no more immediate enemies. Everyone was going through this period of rebirth and discovery. His people were resilient and they would be okay.

Astrid mentioned plans Gobber said to her in passing about building a drainage system to the sea and Hiccup's mind whirled with schematics and possibilities.

The dragons were gone. Toothless was gone. While he would _always_ keep his best friend's memory in his heart, he had to get used to this new life and settle into his role for good this time. There was no other option. Wallowing in self pity would never do him or his village any good.

Astrid squeezed his hand, wiped his wet cheeks, and kissed him breathless. Her strength and resolve never ceased to amaze him, and he vowed to be the chief and partner she deserved.

They could do this. Together.

“So, I thought we could build a grain storage shed here. This island is mostly bedrock and there aren't very many spots we can turn into plowable fields, but on the east side there's a few plains that I think we could utilize better to farm for the village, aside from everyone's personal gardens. And over here, this is going to be a smoke shed, so we can smoke fish and game-”

“Hey Astrid! Come check out what I got!”

Hiccup paused his discussion at the interruption and turned to see his cousin approaching. Astrid raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

“Look at this thing of beauty.” Snotlout proudly held out a massive fish.

“Ugh! Snotlout, get that thing out of my face!” Astrid covered her mouth and turned away from the offensive odor.

“What? I thought you'd be impressed that I managed to bag this sucker all on my own. This is enough to feed several big brawny Vikings, you know, like myself.” He hefted the fish over his shoulder.

“That's great, you don't need to wave it all over the place.” She fanned the air in front of her nose with disgust.

“Hey, you put me in charge of the fishing crew and now you're not even happy I did what you asked? Sheesh. Good luck with that one, cuz.” He rolled his eyes and stalked away, muttering under his breath. “High maintenance harpy...”

“What was that?” Astrid snarled. “Come back and say that to my face, snot for brains!” She shook her fist at him even as he brushed her off. “Can you believe the blatant disrespect around here?”

Hiccup gave her a half lidded look. “Are you really asking me that question?”

“Yeah but you're used to it.”

He threw up his hands and scoffed. “Did you really have to yell at him? He just wanted to show you the fish he caught.”

“It smelled disgusting, babe.”

“Not... any more than usual? Are you okay?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“I'm fine,” Astrid ground out. “Quit asking me that.”

“Okay, sorry, I'm just making sure you're okay.” Hiccup held up his hands in defense.

“Well I'm fine. Nothing out of the ordinary here.”

“Right...” He didn't sound convinced.

ooo

Two days later, Hiccup thew himself full swing into designing the drainage system. The villagers were still assessing the island for pockets of ore, so they rationed their stores of iron until they could find more to mine. No more convenient Gronkles to dig and spit out molten iron whenever they needed it. A wave of sadness passed over him, as it always did when confronted with something dragons used to do for them. He brushed it aside and moved on.

A rush order for nails came in, so Hiccup put his planning on hold and buckled down to make more.

“Can you pass me that hammer, please?” He held out his hand to Astrid.

When he didn't feel the weight of wood and iron dropping into his palm, he looked over at her.

A strange distracted look on her face made him stand up straight. “Hey, are you okay?”

She placed a fist against her mouth. “Yeah,” she said after a moment. “I think so.”

She picked up the hammer on the other side of her and handed it to him. He watched her out of concern for a pause, then grabbed an iron bar out of the fire and pounded it on his anvil.

Astrid crinkled her nose. “Have you ever noticed how much it smells in here?”

Hiccup stopped the clanking. “Huh?”

“The metal smells really strong and everything reeks like smoke. It's... I don't know but it's really overwhelming.”

He glanced around, confused. “It... smells? More than usual?”

Astrid shrugged and slid from the stool. “I'm gonna get some fresh air, I think. See you later, babe.”

“Hey, Astrid wait,” Hiccup said. He smiled, a twinkle in his eye. “The caves, at sundown?”

Astrid smirked back at him, but it felt a hint lackluster. “Of course.”

He flipped the hammer up and caught it in his hand. “It's a date then.”

“Is that what we're calling what we do in the caves?” she joked.

Hiccup's secretive grin matched her own. “Well, I mean...”

She shook her head, amused, and sauntered off.

ooo

Hiccup placed an iron weight onto his scale, crouching down to eye for levelness.

“Hey, um, Chief?”

“Oh, hey Odair, what can I help you with?”

“Is Lady Astrid holding training today?”

Hiccup furrowed his brow. “I thought so? Why, isn't she in the training arena?”

“No, sir. The entire New Berk Guard is there but it's been more than half an hour.”

Hiccup stood up and brushed off his hands. “Alright, head back to the arena and I'll see if I can find her.”

Hiccup searched around the village as he made his way up to the Hofferson's house. He knocked on the door. No one answered, but a soft groan came from within.

“Astrid?” he called, alarmed. He opened the door and hurried up the stairs to her bedroom.

She moaned again and rolled under the blankets.

“Hey, what's going on, are you sick?”

“What time is it?”

“You were due in the training arena almost an hour ago,” Hiccup said gently.

Astrid tossed the blankets down and sighed. “Oh no.”

“If you're sick, stay in bed. I'll just have Snotlout take the shift today.”

She placed a hand on her forehead. “You can't let Snotlout train them, who knows what sort of bad habits they'll pick up!” She attempted to sit, but held a hand over her mouth. “Ugh... I am exhausted. And I feel like I'm going to throw up.”

“Then you're definitely staying in bed. Even though his bragging is exaggeration more than anything, Snotlout is still the most skilled in hand to hand combat after you-”

“Don't sell yourself short, you're better than he is now.”

Hiccup chuckled. “You have no idea how nice it is to hear you say that. But even still, Snotlout isn't a slouch when it comes to fighting; he'll do fine. I'll get Eret to help if you're that worried. If you're sick, I don't want you spreading it to anyone else. Get some rest.”

Astrid covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh... oh no, can you grab that bucket?”

He scurried and plucked it up, handing it to her just in time. She wretched into it and Hiccup gathered up her mane of hair to hold it out of her way.

She coughed and sputtered, leaning back and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “That's the second time this morning.”

“You aren't going anywhere,” Hiccup said firmly. “I'll tell Snotlout. I'm sure Fishlegs and the twins can cover your afternoon chores too.”

She closed her eyes and pressed her hands over her face. “At this point I'm too tired and nauseous to even argue. Thanks, babe.”

He kissed her forehead. “Of course, milady. Feel better.”

ooo

Except she didn't feel better. Hiccup genuinely began to worry after a week passed and Astrid could barely make it through her morning duties. The times she made it to the arena (after seeing breakfast in reverse) she sat on the sidelines and instructed instead of demonstrating. By the time she stumbled home, she napped away the afternoon, only to turn her nose up at dinner. If she did manage to down anything, it usually came back up an hour later.

“You need to see Gothi,” Hiccup said. “Astrid this isn't normal. Stomach sickness goes away in a day or two, and it's been a whole week!”

“I'm fine.” Her voice was sharp despite her exhaustion.

“No you're not. Something is wrong. Why won't you just admit that you need help?” He placed his hand on her shoulder.

Astrid sighed and leaned against him. “It's just... I don't like feeling this weak and tired all the time. I feel like a feeble old lady and my stomach is just... rolling constantly all day. The only relief I get is when I sleep. And literally nothing sounds good to eat, but if my stomach is empty the nausea is the worst. But if I eat too much I just throw it back up. I have to keep the right amount of food in my stomach all day to feel slightly alright. This is _awful_.”

“It sounds awful. And completely unlike you.”

“That's the thing, I'm used to a high level of capability and I'm barely functioning! I don't know what this is but I hope it'll be over soon.”

“Me too.” Hiccup embraced her in a tight hug. “I'm just worried about you.”

“Ow,” she complained. He pulled back and she rubbed her chest. “Sorry, they're just tender. And you have a ridiculous amount of buckles.”

“Sorry,” he said with a laugh. “Is it that ah, time of the month? Usually you get sore like that when it's... ah, you know. Maybe that's why you're sick?”

Astrid frowned. “It's not that, because I haven't...” Astrid's lips parted and she and Hiccup shared an alarmed look.

“My calendar, get the-”

“On it,” Hiccup said, darting for the parchment she kept in her clothing chest. He handed it to her and Astrid counted the days with shaking hands.

“Oh... oh Gods... I didn't realize it had been so long-”

“How long has it been?”

“I'm three weeks late,” she said, squeezing her eyes closed. “It's just, I wasn't paying attention, we've had so much going on with the dragons leaving and building New Berk, I just didn't-”

“You need to see Gothi,” Hiccup said urgently. “Now.”

“It's almost evening, we can't-”

“Astrid, _now_.”

“But I...” She sighed, covering her face with her hands. “You're right.”

They hurried over to Gothi's hut and knocked on her door. She opened with a confused expression to see the two of them, but ushered them inside.

She placed another log on the fire and gave them a look that clearly said 'what are you doing here at this time of night?'

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged nervous glances. “Um, well, you see...”

“I, um...” Astrid looked down and twiddled her fingers.

“Astrid hasn't had... she um. She hasn't been feeling well lately?” Hiccup said, his voice cracking. He winced.

A small smirk appeared on Gothi's face. She beckoned Astrid forward to the patch of sand she kept in the corner of her room. She drew runes into it for Astrid to read.

“Um, yes. By... three weeks.”

Gothi raised her eyebrows and gave her a pointed look. Astrid looked down and Gothi scratched out the runes and drew more.

Astrid sighed. “It's normally very regular and I've never skipped a month. Yes, I've been extremely nauseous all the time. I've thrown up every single morning and I'm exhausted by the afternoon.”

Gothi erased her writing and crossed to her shelves, digging through wooden boxes and jars. She found a little pouch tied with string and wrote instructions in the sand.

Astrid reared back. “You want me to what?!”

Gothi nodded and handed her the pouch.

Astrid held it awkwardly and looked around the cluttered room. “Um... where... should I?”

Gothi gave her a bowl and mimed pouring the contents of the pouch into it. Then she guided Astrid to the bedroom and closed the door.

“What is she doing?” Hiccup asked. Gothi pointed to the sand. Hiccup read it and nodded, pink tinting his cheeks. “Oh. Ahh okay. Right.”

Astrid came out a moment later and handed Gothi the bowl. Gothi scribbled some more into the sand.

“She says we need to come back in a couple days.” Astrid heaved a sigh and looked at Hiccup's worried face. She shrugged and said in a quiet voice, “I guess then we'll know.”

The next two days were torture and seemed to stretch on forever. Hiccup visited the bedridden Astrid every moment he could spare. The sickness and exhaustion took its toll on her, and she tearfully broke down as he held her hair back while she heaved the contents of dinner up again.

“This is awful,” she cried.

“I know,” Hiccup sympathized, setting the bucket down.

“I can't do anything, I can barely lift my limbs and every time I so much as look at food I throw up. Did you know everything has a smell? I can _smell_ things. Things that normally don't have a smell. It's bizarre.”

Hiccup held her hands and rubbed them, listening to her vent.

“I feel so, so _useless_.”

“You're not useless, Astrid,” Hiccup chuckled.

“It's easy for you to say. You don't understand how I feel at all.” She wiped away another stray tear.

The smile faltered on Hiccup's face as Astrid realized her mistake and tried to backpeddle.

“I, well I mean-”

“It's okay, I get it,” Hiccup said. “I wasn't called Hiccup the Useless for nothing. It's not a good feeling, and I know that you especially are not used to feeling this way. The thing is, whether you're, you know, pregnant or not, you're still the same capable Astrid who's got everything under control. It's okay to need help; everyone needs help at some point. I am more than happy to take care of you.” He placed a hand on her cheek and caressed her face with his thumb. “After everything you've done for me, it's my turn to do the same for you.”

She smiled tenderly at him and he squeezed her hand.

“So, what are we going to do if, if...”

He combed his fingers through his bangs. “We'll make it through this together, the same way we always do. I'll be right by your side.”

Astrid pouted. “Gobber can never know about this.”

Hiccup laughed. “I hate that he might be right about that stupid bet. Although, with how sick you are, we won't be able to keep it a secret for long. I think the town rumor mill is already churning.”

“Great,” she sighed, rubbing a hand on her face.

ooo

In the cover of dusk, Hiccup and Astrid made their way over to Gothi's house. Nervous ice lined his stomach. Astrid looked queasy, and not just from the recent physical symptoms.

Hiccup knocked on Gothi's door, glancing around to make sure no one noticed them.

Gothi invited them in. Her gentle calmness did nothing to assuage their anxiousness. Astrid could barely make eye contact and her fingers trembled in Hiccup's hand.

“So, do we have the um, results?” he asked, hating that his voice cracked again, transporting him back to age fourteen with the confidence to match.

Gothi beckoned them to her table and pointed to the bowl. They peered in.

Wheat and barley seeds lined the bottom, the majority of the seeds split open with tiny green shoots just staring to bud.

“What, um... what does this mean?” Astrid asked, her voice tight.

Gothi drew runes into her sand for Hiccup and Astrid to read. Astrid gasped with a cry and immediately buried her face into Hiccup's shoulder. He hugged her tight, numb with shock.

He petted her hair, decision flooding his face.

“Gothi, we would, um... appreciate your discretion on this, of- of course.”

She nodded and patted Hiccup's hand. She scratched in the sand.

Hiccup read it aloud. “Congratulations.” He rubbed a hand on his face. “I... suppose they are in order.”

Astrid clung onto him tighter.

“Thank you for your help, Gothi. I'm going to take her home. To her home, of course, I mean... not to my...” Hiccup pursed his lips and fell awkwardly silent.

Gothi worked her lips to keep a smirk off her face and ushered the two out with a kind wave.

“I don't want to go home,” Astrid said immediately. “I- I- I don't know what I want but I can't go home right now.”

“To the caves, then?”

Astrid barked a short nervous laugh. “The scene of the crime, you mean?”

Hiccup chuckled. “Something like that, I guess.”

“I _knew_ I should've had you pull out that night,” Astrid said, biting her fingernail distractedly.

“Oh come on!” Hiccup groaned.

They sneaked over to the forge, where the fire pit smoldered just enough that Hiccup could ignite a torch to light their way. They were extra cautious, making sure no one saw them as they scurried away with the glowing wood.

After access to the small beach lining the island had been built with ramps and steps, Hiccup discovered a series of hidden caves along the shore that became the perfect place to afford some privacy. Something he and Astrid had taken advantage of. Often.

Once inside, Hiccup lit a small pile of branches from their stock while Astrid sat down on the heap of furs that had seen plenty of action... the reason they were in their current predicament.

Hiccup finished lighting the fire and sauntered over to Astrid. She looked up at him, red lining her eyes and worry straining her face. He sat down next to her and they contemplated the flickering flames for a silent moment, taking it all in.

Finally Hiccup drew in a breath and caught Astrid's gaze.

“So...” He spread his palm on her lower belly, a small smile on his face. The firelight reflected the glimmer in his eyes. “There's really a baby in here, huh?”

Astrid shrugged, the tiniest hint of a smile on her lips too. “So it would seem.”

“Incredible,” he breathed.

Tears lined her eyes. “Yeah?”

“Of _course_. You're having my baby. _My_ baby!” He placed his hand on his forehead, the water in his eyes shining in the light.

Astrid held her arms, rubbing them insecurely. “Aren't you scared?”

“Am I- am I scared?! Of course! I'm terrified! I'm nowhere near ready for this.” He softly wrapped his hands around her upper arms, drawing her in and giving her a tender loving smile. “But the way I see it, I lost one of the most important things in my life on that day. And now, you're going to give me the next most important thing in my life. So even though I'm scared, I can't ever be upset about that. You and this baby are- are _everything_ to me.”

Astrid choked back tears and they embraced tightly.

“So, what are we going to do?” Astrid said, shrugging and looking lost. For once, she needed guidance instead of providing it.

Hiccup stared into the fire, resolution on his features. He glanced back up and met her gaze. He held her hands firmly and caressed his thumbs across the back of them.

“Astrid, you are about to become the mother of my child and I've _never_ pictured anyone else. For my entire life, it's- it's _always_ been you. You would make me the happiest man in the whole world if you would be my wife. Do you think, we finally could-?”

A tear rolled down her cheek and she nodded emphatically. “Yes. Yes, yes, of course yes!”

Hiccup caught her up in a kiss, tears escaping down his face. The kiss lingered, breaking up into smaller kisses, and when they finally parted they both wiped at their faces with laughter. Hiccup caught a stray tear down Astrid's cheek with his thumb and another emotion filled chuckle.

Astrid shook her head, amused. “Gobber is going to make so much money off of us.”

Hiccup burst with laughter, wiping more tears from his eyes. “He's going to be impossible. I can _feel_ the smugness already, like he somehow already knows. Do you know how much I'm going to suffer? Do you know all the crap he's going to spout working alongside him now?”

“Excuse me, how much _you're_ going to suffer?” Astrid said, giving him a pointed look. “I'm the one who's pregnant and currently puking her guts out constantly.”

“Right, right, I'm sorry,” Hiccup said, a silly grin lighting on his face from her words. _I'm the one who's pregnant._ “How have you been feeling? Are you okay right now?”

“I'm nauseous all day every day and any little smell can set it off. And do I need to remind you that I can smell _everything_? Snot's b.o. alone can send me running for the bucket.”

Hiccup wrinkled his nose. “I am truly sorry.” He looked at her warily. “I don't smell, do I?”

She pondered that, looking at him fondly. “No, not really, unless you've been sweating it up in the forge or something. But even then, it's nothing compared to some of the other men on the island. I actually kinda like your boy smell.”

He smirked, leaning in and kissing her cheek. “So... you wanna... you know. You're already pregnant, it's not like we have to worry about that anymore-”

“Hiccup!”

“What?!”

“Now? Seriously, _now_?”

“You're pretty and you're carrying my baby! Excuse a guy for trying. You know that's how that baby got in there, right-”

Astrid scoffed. “I am so nauseous even the _idea_ of sex right now makes me want to throw up.”

Hiccup laughed. “I'm kidding. I can't imagine it would feel good in your current condition.”

“Not a chance, pal. You did enough.”

“Yeah, I guess I did.” His smile lit up his face. He leaned back in for a kiss, cupping her face. “We're having a baby,” he whispered between kisses, wonder in his breath and tears lining his eyes.

“We're having a baby,” she echoed, and he could feel her sweet smile against his lips.

ooo

“Okay, everyone- hey, ah... We- we have an announcement! _Hello_ -”

Astrid put her fingers in her mouth and let loose a sharp piercing whistle that echoed throughout the new Great Hall and quieted the dull roar of everyone inside.

Hiccup looked at her gratefully. “Thank you, Astrid. Okay... now that I have, um, everyone's attention. We have an important announcement. Astrid and I have decided to get married.”

Hiccup paused while the crowd exploded with cheers and claps and a few “it's about damn time”s.

“Astrid's family and I have negotiated the bride-price and spoken with the event planners. The date is set for three weeks from now-”

Murmurs from the crowd as people speculated between one another at such a quick date.

“I know what you're all thinking, that isn't much time to prepare, but we've been reassured that it can be done. We know, ah- a winter wedding is not the greatest timing, but Astrid and I feel we've waited long enough. If we need assistance with preparations from any of you, we will be sure to let you know. Also, Helga, Brunhildr, Oda, and any other strong seamstresses, please meet with us this evening and we will give you the materials and measurements to make the wedding clothes. Thank you.”

Hiccup concluded his statement with a relieved sigh and fielded congratulations, hand shakes, and back slaps as people approached the head terrace.

Gobber waited for a break in the stream of well wishes and rubbed his mustache with a smirk.

“So, yeh did end up puttin' a bun in the oven after all, eh?” he said casually.

“ _Gobber_!” Hiccup cried, whirling around to face him.

“Oh please, the women have been all a-twitter about it for days now. Yeh don't just lie in bed for a week if there isn't a pint size cause for it. So, when is she due? Must still be in the early stages if you're hurrying the wedding this quickly.”

Even if Hiccup had any chance of recovering from Gobber's untimely callout, his red face gave away any unconvincing lying he could hope to manage.

“We- that has nothing to do with-”

“Hold on, hold on. Did I hear something about a bun in the oven?” Tuffnut interjected.

“Absolutely _not_ -” Hiccup fussed.

“So _that's_ why Astrid's been puking all day,” Ruffnut said gleefully, rubbing her hands together.

“Oh oh oh! Are we actually doing this now?!” Tuffnut jumped up onto the head table and clapped his hands. “Okay people look alive look alive! I need everyone who called pre-wedding post-Snoggletog to line up right here, we got your four to one odds!”

Hiccup gaped up at Tuffnut as a rush of people gathered around him. Ruffnut produced a massive sack of coins from seemingly nowhere and dropped it onto the table. Coins spilled out and rolled all over the surface. She then pulled out a ledger and charcoal pencil and started checking betters and their amount due off the list.

“Unbelievable,” Hiccup said, running a hand down his face.

“Really? The odds certainly didn't say so,” Gobber said, counting the stacks of coins in his wooden hand with his index finger. Gothi siddled up and surreptitiously dropped a few more into his palm.

“Gothi!” Astrid said, raising her eyebrows at the old woman. She shrugged sheepishly and patted Astrid's shoulder.

Fishlegs held out his coinpurse and tried to get Tuffnut's attention.

“ _Fishlegs_ , not you too!” Hiccup said, scandalized.

Fishlegs lowered his coinpurse and had the decency to look ashamed, but still accepted his monetary winnings when Ruffnut dropped it into the little burlap sack. “Sorry Hiccup, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity based on the statistics...”

“You know, Fish, I expected this out of Ruff and Tuff, but you? I thought you were better than that,” Hiccup crossed his arms with a disappointed look.

Fishlegs pouted, but also tucked the coinsack into his pocket.

Several pounds of pure muscle wrangled Hiccup into a jovial headlock. “Oi, Chief you old dog you! Congratulations to you and the future Missus. I have to say, your little addition means my coffers get a nice little addition! So glad you couldn't keep it in your pants, mate.”

Hiccup stopped struggling and limply accepted Eret's hug. “Uh... thanks, I guess.” His voice muffled underneath Eret's sizable arm. Hiccup slipped out and brushed down his mussed hair.

“Come on people, how are we even sure she's really pregnant?” Snotlout complained over the noise and clinking coins. “You know that means she had to let Hiccup get... you know... like?” Snotlout circled his fingers and mimed his index finger poking through the hole.

“Really Snot?” Hiccup gave him a half lidded look.

“Hey! Got anything constructive to say, mutton head? _Didn't think so_. How about you go make yourself useful somewhere else,” Astrid growled.

“Um, _excuse me_ , I've been way more useful than you this past week!” Snotlout said defensively.

“Oh yeah? I'm currently making-- like, an eyeball. And a knee. From scratch. What have you done today? Yeah, that's what I thought.”

“I've taken all your training shifts while you were sick making that eyeball and knee, _missy_.”

Hiccup backed away. “Oh no, you've done it now, Snot.”

Snotlout gulped as Astrid stalked toward him with a mesmerizing gleam in her eyes that was equal parts calm and terrifying, pinning him in place. She got right up in his face.

“How would you like to be missing an eyeball and a knee,” she threatened. “I can make 'em and I can take 'em away.” She pointedly gazed down at his pants. “And I don't have to stop there, either.”

Snotlout took the hint and covered his hands over the front of his pants. “That won't be necessary thank you. I'll cover all the shifts you need while you make the eyeballs and knees of the next Berkian heir.”

He slinked away, muttering about cranky unreasonable pregnant people.

Astrid's mother sauntered up and placed her hands on her shoulders. “So, daughter mine, when were you going to tell us the happy news?”

Astrid spun around with a guilty grin on her face. “Um... after the wedding?”

“Hmm. Secrets like this don't stay secrets for long, do they? Well...” she toyed with a strand of Astrid's hair and scanned her up and down and smirked. “We better start making that wedding dress before you don't fit in it.”

“Mom!” Astrid buried her face in her hands.

“Oh! And I better collect my winnings before they're gone,” she sang, joining the fray surrounding Tuffnut and Ruffnut.

“ _Mom!_ ”

Gobber chuckled and roped an arm around Hiccup's shoulders. “I should really say congrats. Yeh have to admit though, it is nice to see the people coming together and agreeing on something.”

Hiccup snorted. “Are you implying that all these people assumed we had no personal restraint? Because that is one hundred percent accurate we had absolutely none.”

Gobber laughed and clapped his hand on Hiccup's back while he heaved a sigh. “As evidenced by the sizable betting line. Ah, well. What's done is done, we're all excited to see the wee one and happy you two are finally tying the knot.”

Hiccup had to smile as he watched the excited faces around him. Most of them were focused on the prospect of winning money, but there were plenty who were looking forward to the chief's wedding and birth of the baby.

He felt entirely present in the moment. Astrid threaded her fingers through his and squeezed his hand. He turned to smile at her. Things would be alright.

It wasn't where he thought he would be, miles and miles away from their ancestral home and the dragons they had loved like family. But, with Astrid by his side and a baby on the way, the first step toward healing didn't seem so impossible. A tiny piece of contentment fell into place.

They could do this. Together.

 

**Author's Note:**

> About the "pregnancy test"-- this actually was a method the ancient Egyptians used to tell if a woman was pregnant. Amazingly they somehow knew that there was something different about the urine of a pregnant woman. After a woman urinated on the wheat and barley seeds, if they germinated she was pregnant (if the wheat sprouted it was supposedly a girl, if the barley sprouted it was a boy). A study was done in the 60s or 70s (can't remember which decade) and they found it to be like 70% accurate (only the seeds germinating part, wheat for a girl/barley for a boy not so much, lol) and that's pretty crazy! So I took some liberties with that here.  
> Also, I see a lot of pregstrid headcanons where she's super strong and fierce and pregnancy is no sweat to her, so I thought it would be fun to indulge the idea that she ends up experiencing some of the more severe pregnancy symptoms and has trouble dealing with that, because you know, character growth ;)  
> Thanks for reading!


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